If you step inside of my apartment, you’ll immediately see that it’s a house ruled by cats. There are scratching posts for them to lounge on and toys in nearly every room. I’ve also splurged on a fancy food dish that’s set against some empty wall space…until now. To take my cat-lady status up a notch, I created a hanging banner that immortalizes Pauline, my calico that’s the emboidment of the Sour Patch Kids candy.
Like my cut paper self portrait, I made a video that offers a behind-the-scenes look at how 2D Pauline came to life. Nearly everything was done using felt—a first for me, but something I’m definitely going to repeat. It was fun!
Here’s the tools I used:
- Wool felt. I’m a huge fan of Benzie Design. They’ve got an incredible selection!
- Disappearing ink pens. These are so neat! The ink disappears in water or after 48 hours. Magic!
- Hot glue gun. Low temperature, because I often get it on my fingers.
- Fabric shears. Invest in a good pair made for cutting fabric.
- Embroidery scissors or other tiny scissors for smaller areas.
- Dow rod to hang the banner.
- Embroidery floss to secure the dow rod.
- Baker’s twine to make it ready to hang.
I started cut the shape of the banner first and then sewed the casing for the dow rod. Then, I dove into my felt portrait using a sketch as a guide. Although it’s not shown on the video, I cut out shapes from my initial drawing and used them as a pattern, tracing around them with the ink pen onto the felt.
If you have any questions about this project, let me know! I’m happy to answer them. And, if you want one of these for yourself (or as a gift), I’m currently taking commissions. In fact, I’m working on one right now!
